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Advantages of oral fluid drug testing

Implementing an effective drug testing program can sometimes prove to be challenging. Because laboratory-based urine drug testing is the most widely used testing method, it leads some employers to believe it’s the safest bet. At Quest Diagnostics, we are committed to offering a comprehensive selection of workplace drug testing solutions which include oral fluid and hair testing to meet the needs of clients from different industries and geographies.

With that in mind, oral fluid is emerging as a popular alternative to urine. Like urine, oral fluid testing detects recent drug use and may also identify very recent usage that may not be captured by urine testing. While oral fluid has a slightly shorter window of detection (depending on the drug/metabolite and usage patterns), the overall positivity rate, based on recent Quest Diagnostics Drug Testing Index™ data, demonstrates a higher positivity for almost all drugs and more than twice the positivity for marijuana. In 2011, our scientific experts launched a new a FDA-cleared collection and testing system utilizing our patented technology in the Oral-Eze® Oral Fluid Collection System that we use exclusively for oral fluid drug testing. It’s worth noting that oral fluid is also being considered for federally-regulated drug testing. Last year, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) published proposed Oral Fluid Mandatory Guidelines in the Federal Register, a first step towards permitting the use of oral fluid specimens for Federal drug testing.

Here are some of the advantages of using Oral-Eze for oral fluid drug testing:

Oral fluid is regarded as reliable for detecting recent drug use.

A collection is simple to perform and can be conducted at a place of employment. Most oral fluid collections take less than five minutes.

Because an oral fluid collection is observed, it helps to reduce the opportunity for a donor to alter or tamper with their drug test specimen.

The Oral-Eze sample adequacy window helps test administrators know when they have collected a sufficient amount of oral fluid.

Oral fluid testing features unique advantages such as excellent detection of recent drug use, the flexibility of performing observed collections on-site, and fast result turnaround times. It can be performed throughout the country with the exception of a few states. Check our guide to see where it is permitted.